FOR THIS PURPOSE

When President Joseph F. Smith received the revelation regarding the spirit world in 1918 it was concluded by his vision of spirits who were reserved to come forth in the 'fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work'. These he stated 'received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men' (D&C 138:55-57). The Prophet Joseph Smith affirmed this truth with the following statement: "Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabits of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was (TPJS, p 365).  Whenever I look at people throughout history who have accomplished something great I am convinced they were chosen for that particular task in pre-mortal life. We of the last dispensation are fortunate enough to have history yield worthy examples for us to follow. We learnt of one such example in Sunday School this past Sunday. Her name was Mary and she was a young girl living in Nazareth.

I cannot imagine with what trepidation a young girl like Mary received angel Gabriel's announcement of her life's purpose, to be the mother of the Son of God. Scripture tells us that when Gabriel finished his announcement, she quickly reminded him that she was a virtuous young lady and that she was without the perimeter of intimacy with any man. Gabriel then proceeded to explain how the baby would be conceived and perceiving the alarm that must have arisen within Mary he quickly told her about her cousin Elizabeth who also was recipient of a miraculous conception. What comfort that would have been to such a young girl who had to explain to others of her condition with fear that she would not be believed. But there was another, her cousin Elizabeth, who had conceived by a miracle so this too was possible. Elizabeth, who languished for years in 'the waiting room' with her husband Zacharias, longing for a child, must have at times wondered what her purpose on earth was for she was being denied the role all women were appointed to before this world began. As years passed and motherhood eluded her she must have felt worthless and forsaken somehow not knowing the important role she was to play, that of being a mother to the forerunner of the long awaited Messiah. Elizabeth's role of giving birth to and raising John the Baptist was not her only purpose. Her other purpose was to be a witness of God's miraculous power. Gabriel attested to this when he referred to Elizabeth by saying: "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37).  Another woman who served the same purpose was Sarah.

Sarah too languished in 'the waiting room' until it seemed that the promise of an heir could not be fulfilled. Imagine waiting for a promised child for 37 years and arriving to the day when you could plainly see that the time was past. What thoughts would run through your mind? Would you wonder if you had done something wrong and displeased the Lord? Sarah was infertile to begin with and well past the child bearing age when she conceived Isaac. Why such a long wait?  Why not give Sarah a son when she could have conceived normally, without divine intervention? Among other explanations that might come to mind,  Church Father Ambrose offered the most plausible one:  "An aged woman who was sterile brought (Isaac) to birth according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth". (Didymus the Blind, On Genesis 2:41, in Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary, 2:45). I wonder where it would have left Mary if Elizabeth and Sarah had not served their purpose in being witnesses of God's miraculous power for they surely prepared the way and ministered to the inhabitants of the earth by the roles that they fulfilled as mothers of notable men. And what of Joseph, Zacharias and Abraham? What amazing men they must have been to be chosen to be protectors and providers of these amazing women who had been given such important missions. Joseph must have been a good man because he wanted to break off his engagement to Mary privately not wishing her to be exposed to public scorn (Matthew 1:19). Then when he was given instruction regarding her, he obeyed and fulfilled his task of being Mary's husband and her child's protector and guardian.

How would you feel knowing you are one of the great spirits chosen to come to earth to do a specific job and one of great importance and magnitude?  Would you feel important?  Would you understand the gravity of your responsibility and live up to it every day?  How would you feel if you knew you were responsible for salvation of the souls of men? Would it influence you to live a better life? All three women mentioned above fulfilled their life's purpose because of their steadfastness and obedience. Elizabeth and Zacharias were a temple going people, 'righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless' (Luke 1:6). Gabriel told Mary she was highly favoured of the Lord and blessed among women (Luke 1:28). She would not have received such a salutation had she not been as virtuous as she was. In fact she would not have had any salutation or visitation from an angel at all! Sarah, in her desperation to fulfill the law and her duty as an honourable wife, complied with the law of her day and gave her husband another wife so he would have offspring. What heaviness of heart must have been hers as she did so.

One cannot help but wonder if the course of history would flow as smooth if the noble and valiant failed to carry out the missions they brought with them. One thing I am sure of is that the Lord had chosen those valiant enough who He knew would not let Him down. His choice to reserve the strongest of us for the last dispensation of time must have been made with amazing foresight. The Saviour would have foreseen our day for all things are continually before him (D&C 130:7). Moroni stood as witness of our day when in his solitude he said: "Behold, I speak unto you as if you were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing." (Mormon 8:35). The Saviour knew our day also and He knew who would oppose and withstand the forces of evil that threaten to destroy His works. We, the possessors of truth, have been called out of the world to build, pave and prepare the path for mighty events of history that are yet to happen. We cannot fail in this. The Church needs us, the Saviour needs us, the world needs us. We are the valiant ones who have kept our first estate. Now we are on the second leg of our eternal journey. It is our destiny to perform mighty works in preparation for the Second Coming and it is our destiny to go on to eternal life. The adversary will do everything he can to stop us in our tracks but we must press on. We are yet to see marvelous events unfold in the history of this earth. We will see the dawning of a glorious day if we continue to be as valiant as we were in our first estate. And what were we valiant in? In our testimony of Jesus. Our lives need to reflect this testimony so that when He appears we shall know Him for we shall be like Him (Moroni 7:48). Then when we are caught up to meet Him we will welcome Him back with tears of joy knowing we have fulfilled the purpose for which we were born and we will rejoice to have been chosen to be His faithful servants.

TRAILING CLOUDS OF GLORY

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home.

- William Wordsworth

There is presently showing a Ridley Scott movie entitled "Exodus, Gods and Kings". I was excited to see this movie as it has been many years since the last depiction of Moses' story which was "The Ten Commandments". Even though "Exodus, Gods and Kings" was a very well made movie I felt it was very much lacking in spirit. I do not know if Ridley Scott is a religious man or what his motivation was for making this movie which was dedicated to his late brother. The insight I gleaned from my observation of this movie is not in line with criticism of his work. My insight has to do with the depiction of Moses and his non-existent relationship with God. This Moses was portrayed as someone who knew not God and as a result doubted Him at every turn. As I contemplated this, I reflected upon Moses' encounter with God, the account of which we have in The Pearl of Great Price. This account offers us a much clearer picture of Moses' experience as opposed to the Bible. The Book of Moses in The Pearl of Great Price records that God who introduced Himself to Moses as 'the Lord God Almighty' (Moses 1:3) addressed Moses as 'my son' and proceeded to do so more than once inferring a paternal relationship. He then gave Moses the vision of all the worlds He has created, the purpose of this earth and the origin of man. This is followed by the most powerful statement God has ever made: "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). With all His power and all His might, able to create planets and galaxies without number, God proclaimed that His greatest work is His ability and intent to exalt His children who were created by Him and came from Him. The majestic I Am who created the earth that Moses stood on considered Moses and all who dwell on this earth His sons and His daughters, His greatest creations. To Him "man is the underlying and overriding purpose of all His work, man's success constitutes His glory, to Him man is everything" (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 1 "This Is My Work and My Glory").

I wondered if Ridley Scott's Moses would have been different in "Exodus, Gods and Kings" if he had read The Pearl of Great Price. As I pondered more about this, a familiar scripture came into my mind: "And because my words shall hiss forth - many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible" (2 Nephi 29:3). Would we know better of Moses and the origin of man if we despised revelation and rejected further words of God? Are we grateful for additional scripture that sits on our bookshelves? Are we studying with real intent the words of eternal life that are at our disposal? God said something else very significant to Moses: "And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men - among as many as shall believe" (Moses 1:41). 'Another like unto thee' is of course Joseph Smith (2 Nephi 3:7-9) who gave us the Book of Moses as a result of revelation whilst translating the Bible in June 1830. And are we not 'as many as shall believe', his disciples who have taken upon us His Name and who have been blessed with the fullness of the gospel in this dispensation?

The Book of Moses is the most crucial book in all the scriptures because it tells us of our relationship to God, where we came from and why we are here. The whole purpose of humanity is contained within its words. How much the adversary had to gain by having this book lost from the Bible! And yet God's might and power are greater than anything he can do to thwart the work of God and in His mercy He had raised another prophet and seer to bring the lost words back so that we His children would know ourselves, who we are and the glory that lies dormant within us until such time that He, the Almighty God, the great I am, can exalt us on high and make us truly His own. Should we not rejoice at such a time as this? Should we not revere Him who has bought us with a price? Should we not exclaim 'all honour and glory be Thine for ever and ever'.

GOD'S PURPOSE, OUR SACRIFICE

Ever since Sheri L. Dew came to our attention through her calling on the Relief Society General Board,  I have wondered why she has never married. Surely living in the heart of Zion would mean a myriad of marriage opportunities. Sheri Dew has been a faithful member of the Church all her life and she has served God valiantly throughout her life. This must mean that the Lord would desire to bless her with a husband. Apparently Sister Dew was of the same opinion. She says that her solution to this heartbreak was to exercise so much faith that the Lord would have to give her what she wanted - which was a husband. She went on to say: "Believe me, if fasting and prayer and temple attendance automatically resulted in a husband, I'd have one" (Sheri L. Dew, You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory, BYU Speeches, December 2003). Well, the Lord didn't give Sister Dew a husband but He did heal her heart and taught her the value of the Atonement.

Pondering on Sister Dew's life and years of service, it became obvious to me why she has never been blessed with a husband and a family. This became very clear to me when I read this story she related at a BYU fireside:

"This summer I was invited to speak on the subject of the family to a gathering of United Nations diplomats. I agonized over what to say to such a diverse group. In the end I simply shared my personal experience. I explained that my parents had taught me as a child that personal virtue was essential for a happy marriage and family and that in my youth I had made promises to God that I would live a chaste life.

I then acknowledged that I was about to turn 50 and that, though I had not yet married, I had kept my promise. "It hasn't always been easy to stay morally clean", I admitted, "but it has been far easier than the alternative". I have never spent one second worrying about an unwanted pregnancy or disease. I have never had a moment's anguish because a man used and then discarded me. And when I do marry I will do so without regret. "So you see", I concluded, "I believe a moral life is actually an easier and a happier life".

I worried about how this sophisticated audience would respond to a message about virtue and abstinence, but much to my surprise they leapt to their feet in applause - not because of me but because the Spirit had borne witness of the truth of that message". (Sheri L. Dew, You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory, BYU Speeches, December 2003)

God needs willing servants. Men and women who would sacrifice everything, even their heart's desire for fulfillment of God's purposes. Sister Dew's speech, "You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory" was addressed to the BYU students back in 2003.  She explained to them how important they were in God's plan and had been selected especially to come to earth in this 11th hour to conquer the enemy of all righteousness. I wonder if Sister Dew realises that she was really speaking of herself during this talk for I suspect that she was born to lead others in believing that a life of purity is a better way.  In an age where sexual purity, not valued and sexual promiscuity reigning supreme, God needed someone strong and powerful to stand as a witness to the Church and the world that His ways are better that our ways.  I will go so far as to say that I believe that Sister Dew had covenanted in her pre-existence that she will sacrifice her desire for a husband so that she can combat the forces of evil during her life by her example.This is His purpose, this is her mission. And so it is for us. Sometimes we push and agonise and plead and complain, wanting the life we do not have when in reality we had covenanted that we will do something entirely different so that God's purposes can be accomplished through us.

The greatest scriptural example of this is Abraham who waited on the Lord until it seemed there was little chance that he would ever have the desire of his heart. Abraham desired the blessings of the 'fathers', meaning the priesthood which was passed down from father Adam to the rightful heirs or first born male children who were righteous enough to receive it.  These blessings of the priesthood he did not only desire for himself but for his posterity also which meant he would have to have an heir to pass the rights of the priesthood to. As time passed it became obvious that heir was not forthcoming. In desperation, his wife Sarah complied with the custom of the day which dictated that if a woman did not provide children for her husband in the first 10 years of marriage, she had to give him another wife so he would have offspring. She gave Hagar to Abraham and Hagar bore him a son but the Lord had promised Abraham a rightful heir to the blessings of the 'fathers' meaning the child would have to come through the first wife. So the promise was made and not fulfilled for 37 years. By this time Sarah, who was infertile to begin with was also well past the child bearing age.  Why such a long wait?  Why not give Sarah a son when she could have conceived normally, without divine intervention? Among other explanations that might come to mind,  Church Father Ambrose offered the most plausible one:  "An aged woman who was sterile brought (Isaac) to birth according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth". (Didymus the Blind, On Genesis 2:41, in Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary, 2:45).

Usually the main focus in this story is on Abraham and little consideration is given to Sarah. Imagine being a married woman longing for a child. Many women find themselves in that boat. Now imagine being a woman in Sarah's time. Not only is your husband longing for a child which is his heart's desire but you have to give him another wife so she can fulfill your responsibility to give him children. How worthless would you feel? There was great stigma attached to being barren in Sarah's time. On top of that if you did not have a son, you were basically in a very precarious situation indeed. Sons had the responsibility to care for their mothers should their fathers not be around. As women were not providers and had no legal rights, they desperately needed sons. Even though Abraham was rich, Sarah did not stand to inherit his fortune. That honour would go to the nearest male relative if her husband had no sons by another woman. Sarah languished for 37 years in the waiting room of her heart so that a greater purpose can be fulfilled for she was required to pave the path of belief. The sacrifice sublime, the purpose priceless: "Sarah's miraculous conception, intentionally arranged by the Almighty as a miracle that had never been seen since the Creation, is surely one of the clearest similitudes of the birth of Him who would fulfill the promise to Abraham and Isaac that in their seed all nations of the earth would be blessed" (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming a Zion People, p. 192). What an incredibly important role Sarah played and she lived up to it in every sense of the word.

One of the covenants we make in the temple is a covenant of sacrifice. We basically promise we will give our all for the kingdom of God and the establishment of Zion. Some may say that's a tall order. It's an order, however, in similitude of the sacrifice of the Son that God's purpose in Him might be fulfilled. And what is this purpose? To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). When we stood in the grand council in pre-mortal life, we covenanted that we will be a part of this purpose (D&C 138:55,56), that we would labour for the salvation of the souls of men and sacrifice all that it would take to do so. This meant that we placed others before ourselves and had a strong desire to make the plan of salvation successful. I also believe we wanted to bring honour and glory to the Father as opposed to the one who wanted all glory for himself. This is what we voted for and what we fought for. I imagine Sheri Dew was there with her hand raised to the square and you and I stood beside her.

If your heart is filled with broken dreams and unfulfilled desires and more questions than you have answers for, do not be dismayed. God has a purpose for you and in time that purpose will reveal itself if you are faithful. The Saviour, as committed as He was to the Father, struggled with the concept of sacrifice also and asked for the cup to be passed from Him (Matt 26:39) but he did not shrink back and drank the bitter dregs anyway. In time the bitterness of your cup will be turned to sweetness in equal measure. Trust in the Saviour's ability to enable you to make your offering on the altar of sacrifice. If the Atonement was the ultimate sacrifice, it can empower us to lay our hearts down as a token of our faithfulness. Place your trust in it and seek its' power. You are a child of God bound by the covenant, a daughter, a son, a noble offspring of the Father of us all. God's purpose will be done through you and for you and in the end you will be crowned with glory and be granted thrones, principalities and dominions in the Celestial Kingdom of our Heavenly Father with the promise of eternal increase therein. You wanted this when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. You were among that happy throng and your voice was heard. Honour it and be true to it.